


I'm Thinking Out Loud, Maybe We Found Love Right Where We Are

by my-pretty-little-galway-girl (AwesomeGalaxyPanda)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: #Weshouldprayforbaek, Alternate Universe - College/University, Chanyeol's so fluffy i'm gonna die, F/F, Femslash, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I shouldn't have written this but of course I did, Lesbian, M/M, Parallel Universes, and remember kids - love made this all possible, baeksoo are best friends, genderbent!exo, happy belated birthday kyungsoo, kyungsoo's probably committed first degree murder before, obviously chansoo muhuhahah, rating might go up coz I'm trash, this is one big messy ride hahaha, too many ed sheeran references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-17 17:11:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9334664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwesomeGalaxyPanda/pseuds/my-pretty-little-galway-girl
Summary: Enter Do Kyungsoo: cynical, emotionally illiterate, borderline gothic, lesbian feminist.Enter Park Chanyeol: upbeat, spunky, starry-eyed, guitar wielding 'lover of all things furry'.Kyungsoo always took Chanyeol for granted, that much everyone knew. But when a birthday wish goes wrong, she wakes up and everything's different. Completely different.In other words, the fic where Kyungsoo wakes up to a different universe every morning she opens her eyes.





	1. Maybe Just The Touch Of A Hand

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh I'm so late lool! was meant to post this on my baby soo's birthday but of course I have to be late. It's not my fault Chansoo has me feeling some type of way. Plus, Kyungsoo sending that little heart to yeol had me spiralling out of control and femchansoo is something I've wanted to write for a while now so here we goooooo.
> 
> enjoy xxD

Kyungsoo walked towards the cozy little cafe with a solid, determined look on her face. Curse that ratted Byun Baekhyun for guilt tripping (read: forcing) her to get him coffee from his 'favourite' place at such ungodly hours. Granted it _was_ only noon, but still. It was the principle. Clearly this was the universe's way of suggested to her that she needed new friends - asap. Or maybe it wasn't, she could very easily and logically survive living alone in a capitalist world (thank you very much, every Disney and children's television program that subliminally suggested companionship was a flawed necessity in the development and happiness of humans).

Who needed people anyway?

People were the reason there was so much suffering happening on the Earth. Millions of years ago, when single celled organisms were alone in densely populating the planet, suffering was non-existent. This meant that it was a human concept, created to communicate certain levels of pain. Pain was all around us, some went through moderately more than others of course but that was an argument that was unrefuted. Still, people made things worse. More difficult. They needed energy, patience, and a strong will to live. Most of them, if not all, were a downright hassle if she had to be honest. Without them, she'd be able to achieve all sorts: sing peacefully in the shower without Oh Sehun screaming at her in the mornings to shut up, wear all black everyday without Kim Jongin having a dramatic hissy fit about the importance of fashion, attend music theory lessons without Park Chanyeol giggling at her own jokes and showing her pictures of puppies every few minutes.

Thinking about the logistics it would be perfect, serene even. Definitely the best birthday wish in the history of un-granted wishes. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. It looked like everyone around her was here to stay, wasting time on fantasising wouldn't change a thing. Plus, she'd always been more of a realist than a dreamer anyway so instead of wasting time contemplating anymore, she opened the brightly coloured front door.

The smell of coffee accosted her nose. Coffee was number three-hundred and fifty-seven on her list of things she couldn't stand. Yes, she was keeping count, and no, it wasn't a joke. Being five-feet and an inch tall really did enhance her bitter side. Hence there was no need to chug down that vile, charcoal coloured liquid. Unfortunately she was in the minority in the universe when it came to her opinions on the drug, since most people were so reliant on the putrid substance. She sucked in her mental complaints because if she had the time, she could go on deeply pessimistic rants for hours non stop about what seemed like, to others, minor issues.

The black haired girl joined the back of the queue, staring ahead at the handwritten menu on the wall behind the baristas. All their products were written beautifully in white chalk, with a few quirky drawings here and there.

The calligraphy showed excellent penmanship as well as being easy to read. One of the workers was clearly very talented and Kyungsoo wished her own chicken scrawl had half the class and sophistication that this presented with only a single letter, maybe that would stop her professors from complaining every day for the last two years.

Before she knew it, she was at the front of the line and when one extremely exuberant sounding barista announced "next customer please!", Kyungsoo squinted her eyes (a bad habit but she'd grown way too accustomed to it. Plus, she'd heard from multiple people that it made her look intimidating) to help her recognise from the distance why the person looked so familiar.

Of _course_ Chanyeol would work in a family run coffee house, because really, why wouldn't she? No wonder she almost always smelt of the beverage and the voice sounded so subconsciously familiar from entry. It made sense.

Kyungsoo had just assumed she was more addicted to the stimulant than a lot of other sleep deprived university students that roamed the corridors at night.

The raven dragged her feet towards the counter, smiling tentatively at the (much) taller girl. They weren't exactly friends, but they weren't mere acquaintances either. Their relationship was in a sort of 'in-between' that no one could really define with labels or titles. It was just there, in existence. Slightly awkward and more than a little painful sometimes. 

"Hey, Chanyeol."

"Hey Kyungsoo. I didn't know you liked coffee."

"I don't," Kyungsoo muttered, hatred for the drink visibly marking itself on her face, and she watched Chanyeol's face fall. Perhaps that response was little abrupt. Normally she wouldn't have cared but there was something about the barista's sad face that made her heart twinge with something that felt suspiciously like guilt. The older girl suited the smile she constantly wore on her face and it wouldn't be Kyungsoo that ruined it dammit, the music student had a way with words - note sarcasm- and she knew that her social condition wasn't exactly winning her any favours. An attempt at damage control was needed, anything to bring the mood back up from the centre of gravity. She opened her mouth to continue the conversation and dispel the now blank expression on the employee's face.

"Baekhyun forced me to go on a coffee errand. On my birthday of all days...it isn't fair. I'd spit on it but I'm not that unhygienic," Kyungsoo complained causing Chanyeol to chuckle as she recited the order that she'd memorised on the way to her, mentally pleased that she hadn't forgotten the long, overly complex and pretentious coffee order that had been ordered she fetch from the high prince himself.

"Leave his poor coffee alone, it's meant to be savoured. And I didn't know it was your birthday. Happy birthday Soo! Maybe we could hang out sometime..." she looked unsure at the end, tentative almost as she trailed on and it must have mirrored her own expression because time froze for a few seconds. If it wasn't for the whirring of one of the machines, Kyungsoo, when looking back on it would argue that time had actually stood still during that pause.

During the brief silent period, she took in the features of Chanyeol's face; the full bottom lip that was currently being chewed on, the long silver ringlets that framed her face and the large doe eyes that sucked her in at times without her knowing. She hadn't given her many chances at all, other than their shared university lectures, they very rarely crossed paths and if they did then the conversations were mostly one-sided.

The black haired girl had taken advantage of Chanyeol's friendliness but had always responded with low interest and she could see that this offer had an underlying desperation in it, one that suggested this was the last let down that the older girl could take before giving up on creating a friendship between them. It was always Chanyeol who tried, and put effort in. A part of her was telling her that it wasn't fair and that maybe it was her turn to give the giant girl a chance, only having Baekhyun as a friend wasn't exactly a feat to brag about. What was that one proverb, about living life with no regrets? Whatever it was, she wanted to follow it.

"Sure we can. Other than hanging out with Baekhyun, I didn't have any plans anyway. I don't really do much on my birthday," she let out a short, self conscious laugh. Chanyeol was popular, incredibly so. The older girl was probably judging her loner lifestyle, celebrating birthdays by doing interesting and fun stuff were things cool people did. Do Kyungsoo wasn't a cool person by far, she never even got invited to any of the parties that were regularly hosted all year around. Birthdays were simply regular days that happened to be the same day as you were expelled from a birth canal. Dubbing the occasion ordinary was an understatement. All she did on her birthday was lounge around in her pyjamas, listen to her favourite songs, eat loads of pizza and nag Sehun like a mother. To some, hearing how she chooses to spend the occasion must sound boring, lame or even dry but to her it was perfect. But life _did_ include taking on different enterprises that one may not habitually endeavour to approach, so this was a gamble. A gamble to try something new, go beyond her comfort zones.

Chanyeol handed her the coffee cup, she instantly noticed the chunky writing that said 'Too Soo' with a smiley at the bottom and couldn't help the slow smile that began to encompass her face. The other girl was too much sometimes, she'd already told her the backstory of the mocha latte and its fairly exasperating true owner and yet she still did this.

"Awesome. I'm finishing my shift in like...five minutes anyway. Think you can wait?" she said with a teasing lilt to her voice that was accompanied by an eyebrow quirk and Kyungsoo rolled her eyes.

"Of course I can wait, I'm not a child." she scowled playfully, furrowing her eyebrows a little giving her the appearance of a irritable customer.

"Are you sure can?" The question was asked disbelievingly. But when Kyungsoo made eye contact, she could see delighted brown eyes staring right into hers.  "You're just as adorable as my five year old niece and she's really adorable. I should know, we share the same genes after all," Chanyeol declared confidently, chest puffing out like a proud soldier and Kyungsoo wondered how someone managed to be overly confident, yet charming at the same time. It was something she completely attributed to Chanyeol and no one else could mirror it in any way. Many fell short in their execution and ended up coming across as arrogant pricks.

"Shut up and serve the customers," she grumbled, looking away before making her way towards an empty table and smoothing the wrinkles on her skin tight black jeans in the process.

Her outfit consisted of two things:skinny jeans and a baggy, long sleeved grey shirt that was too many sizes above her own but was by far the comfiest thing she owned. The drooping arms and sweater paws were so worth it.

The small wooden chair she was sitting on directly faced Chanyeol, it wasn't like she couldn't turn to face the opposite direction if she desired, but she wasn't afraid to admit she quietly and attentively observed the other girl while she worked.

She was exactly the same at work as she was everywhere else, cheerful and incredibly friendly. If there were two words anyone on their campus could use to describe Park Chanyeol, those two would be arguably the ones that came up the most. A lot of the customers who came in seemed to be on a first name basis and enjoyed bouts of small talk in between simultaneous, practiced coffee brewing. The entire time she was watching (or gawking at) the barista she couldn't help but wonder where the other girl got all that energy to be nice to people. Kyungsoo found it difficult to be pleasant to even those the closest to her while the barista was maintaining the same level of enthusiasm and benevolent spirit for customers she didn't even know, or customers just coming in for the first time.

People weren't always nice and most had next to no redeeming qualities. Besides, small talk had no use to someone on a deeper level. There was nothing to gain and a lot of time and glucose to lose. So what inspired Chanyeol, to go above and beyond societal expectations of faux politeness and top notch fakery?

At first meeting, she'd assumed the older girl was fake and shallow. No one could be puppy-like at their age, so she'd kept her distance. Letting the silver haired girl do most of the talking, waiting for her to get bored and move on to someone new. But it'd been months now and Chanyeol wasn't budging and Kyungsoo was actually starting to, shockingly, warm up to her personality.

A few minutes in and a apronless Chanyeol was heading towards her looking visibly excited and anticipating. Her bright red shorts and humongous navy sweater made her stand out but her rare figure did most of the work, it wasn't common to have those proportions where they were from and most people did a double take. 

To say that Kyungsoo felt dwarfed would be the understatement of the century, she was short for her height (regretfully just below average for women) and Chanyeol was incredibly tall (easily reaching above average for men with those legs). If anything it should have made the barista more elegant and model-like but instead, it served the opposite. If the word clumsy had a photo definition in the dictionary - Park Chanyeol's face would be right under it. Probably with a pained expression stemming from stubbing her toe on the same corner for the millionth time. 

"So...where are we headed mi amigo, to the tropical plains of the Amazon rainforest or the treacherous and mysterious Alps?" Chanyeol asked, waggling her eyebrows cheesily.

"Uh. No idea. Any suggestions?" She replied, not wanting to embarrass herself with her grandma proposals of one-sided fun and remove the all enjoyment for the other girl. She wasn't exactly picky or spoilt so there were loads of things she'd be willing to accept.

"We could go see a movie, or one of my friends has a gig at this bar we both perform at. He mostly does covers and stuff but the atmosphere's nice."

"We could do both. We are both music students after all so I'm interested in seeing your friend perform and there's this new film that I've been meaning to watch too," she shared and Chanyeol's responding grin was very nice to see. From an objective point of view of course, she wasn't soft enough to be melted by something fickle as a grin.

"You're right, we can! We've got a lot of time today. Let's do all the activities we can okay? This is gonna be the best birthday you've ever had, courtesy of me," the tall girl enthused, making a subtle vow and they both started heading towards the exit of the café.

Just as Kyungsoo opened the front door, she heard a shout of "Chanyeol! Get back here. Your shift isn't over young lady!" and froze.

Did this mean they _weren't_ going together? Would Chanyeol have to return to do an extra shift, or something like that? As much as she wanted to deny it, the thought of her promised afternoon being stopped caused feelings of disappointment. She wanted, for the first time, to try going on a day out with Chanyeol but maybe it looked like it wasn't going to be happening.

Instead, a soft voice on her loose black curls tickled her ear and softly whispered one word, " _Run_."

Nothing could have prepared her for the suddenness that was Chanyeol swinging the door open, taking her larger hands in her own and running with her - long legs bounding full speed ahead - until Kyungsoo was a panting mess whose heart was screaming at her to stop before it made her stop. Since they'd been running from the angry man with the spatula for a few minutes now, it took a while for her to realise exactly where they were as well as regain her resting breathing rate.

They were really close to Baekhyun's apartment. A quick turn and they'd be there. She could kiss the floor right now, germs aside. In their instinctual, frantic escape they'd coincidentally ended up in the one place she was planning to go to first. Which was perfect since the stupid, now more or less cold, beverage in her hands wouldn't be consuming itself after all.

While walking the short distance, Kyungsoo lectured the other girl on the importance of attendance and commitment in the work place while Chanyeol looked slightly sheepish, playing with the end of her grey-coloured strands, insisting that it was for a good cause and the "old man" would definitely get over it after a few hours.

After making it to the outside of Baekhyun's apartment complex, she remembered the security system and her lack of key. Pressing the buzzer and tapping her feet, it wasn't long until Baekhyun's suspicious voice rang out. It was noticeably loud and clear on the speaker to the surrounding area around them on the ground floor.

"Who is it?"

She sighed at the dumb question. Really, why did she put herself through this all the time? Where was her knighthood? Sainthood?

"It's me you idiot. Who else would be providing you with your poisonous filth at this time?" Chanyeol giggled at her words, looking thoroughly entertained and thoroughly entertained by the sarcastic quip.

She heard shuffling and was that... heavy breathing?

"Sorry who? The only person I sent out to get my _delicious_ mocha late was my friend Kyungsoo and she's been missing for about an hour now. Do you think you've seen her?" The voice sounded mocking and oh so irritating. Mentally imagining tearing the door down, beating him to a bloody pulp and forcing him to watch her pour his "golden elixir" down the toilet was the only thing that was calming her down at that point.

"Listen here Baekhyun you little shit. I just got out of bed and spent five thousand won on crap that I don't even _like_. So you open this door, pay me back now, drink every sip and then don't bother me for the rest of the day or so help me God-" by now, Kyungsoo must have looked terrifying if Chanyeol's squeak of shock and Baekhyun's silence was any indication.

"All right...I'll open it. J-just don't kill me yeah? Promise," he sounded fearful.

_Good._

"I won't," she insisted. But there were a lot of things one could do that didn't involve the actual option of ending a life. Torture, chokeholds, hard kicks to the shin...

"Why are you smirking?" Baekhyun's voice shrieked, tone paranoid and he sounded like a pubescent teenage boy who'd just experienced a bodily malfunction. "There's a camera in front of you. I can see everything!"

Damn.

She looked to her right and Chanyeol was of no help at all, she was still laughing.

"I'm smiling. That's how I smile, I can't help it. Just like you can't help having girly hands that-"

_Bzzz._

The heavy front door opened and Kyungsoo mentally cackled. Victory was hers, with little effort as well.

They silently walked up to his door which swung open on the first knock. She knew what was coming, her friend was predictable which made riling him up even more hilarious.

"I don't have girly hands! Everyone I've met said that they look fine. Even Google stated that the length and width are average for a male my height. It's just you who thinks that-"

Baekhyun stopped mid rant when he noticed Chanyeol standing next to Kyungsoo, looking down at him with an amused look in her eyes. His eyes widened and he snatched the cup from the raven's hands faster than she'd ever seen him move and slammed the door in their faces, leaving them standing alone in a long corridor.

"What just happened? Your friend's so funny by the way. You're so mean to him," Chanyeol cheerily commented as Kyungsoo glared at the offending piece of wood right ahead of her. Where was her thank you, her cash, heck even the basic decency given to someone who got out of bed to help you out? That was the last time she did something out of the kindness of her heart for that little shit.

"More like ungrateful. Let's go Chanyeol, we shouldn't let losers ruin our day," she nodded at the taller girl and began walking away from the scene of what could have been her criminal masterpiece if there weren't so many damn cameras.

Unfortunately laws and regulations prevented true freedom of expression, a shame really since it could have been perfect. The notion of getting revenge on Baekhyun was a common one in their friendship. This particular revenge fantasy involved quite a bit of hair removal cream and eyebrows. It would be perfect. In fact, it was reminding her of that time she hung him upside down from a pole for 'accidentally' deleting her final year project which caused him to go viral on twitter for a while '#happy memories'.

"So where's that bar that your friend sings at?"

"Oh...I sing there too...sometimes," Chanyeol looked slightly embarrassed as she divulged this (for a reason that was unknown to Kyungsoo since she'd heard the other music sing and play multiple instruments) but she continued on smoothly, "It's called The Brick, it's like a five minute walk from here. C'mon."

She then, before Kyungsoo could physically protest, laced their hands together and began walking in long strides towards their destination. She didn't know how to react to the body contact, it was the second time now and the black haired girl hated other people touching her. Usually that was.

There was something warm about Chanyeol's soft hands and innocent intentions. Besides, this was happening for a beneficial reason after all. It was understandable that them holding hands would speed up the process of them getting there and if there was anything Kyungsoo loved, it was arriving at places quickly.

So she'd accept this, for now at least. This didn't mean hugs and other type of physical affection was allowed. Definitely not, if the older girl even tried it she'd find herself without a - wait, that only worked for guys. Still. Girls could feel pain too.

So as they walked towards the "Brick" place (terrible name really, highly unimaginative for somewhere that sounded so appealing in theory) but Kyungsoo felt a bubble of excitement coarse through her. She loved music, and now they were gonna watch someone play. A friend of Chanyeol's she was praying would be good. She'd always had a good ear for talent and it was a skill enhanced by a degree in music. Additionally, from what she'd gathered over the last three years she knew Chanyeol did too, so there was a reasonable reason for her anticipation.


	2. Place Your Head On My Beating Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day out with Park Chanyeol. 
> 
> (I don't know who's more pitiful out of the two....)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okayyyy so I spent a while making a game plan and don't kill me but I've increased the chapter count to 10 - wanted it to be big xDD. 
> 
> Really excited about this though, from what's coming and I'm defo gonna be more regular now I know where this is going lol!
> 
> Enough of me, enjoy a bit of chansoo xx *wink wink*

The Brick actually ended up being quite impressive. The interior design consisted of (unsurprisingly) red bricks and dark green leather sofas. Not many people were seated but that made it all the better, more quiet and spacious. In one corner, there was a giant boy who was stood in front of a microphone looking decidedly exhausted. His eyes, however, told another story - passion completely engulfed the depths of his brown eyes and she could see that singing meant something to him. He wasn't there to croon a few words into a microphone for a small wage but rather to convey emotion and a genuine love for music. She liked him already, she immediately respected anyone who appreciated music on a deeper level.

He made eye-contact with Chanyeol who gave him a wave and encouraging quick thumbs up. Nodding firmly to himself and offering a slow smile in return, he began to speak.

"This is a song I wanted to sing to someone who means more to me than I can physically say. So instead of confessing, like a brave eloquent man, I thought John Legend would express my feelings into words better."

While adjusting the microphone slightly, his gaze moved around the room settling on Kyungsoo's blank face and looking away just as quickly.

_What would I do without your smart mouth?_

_Drawing me in, and you kicking me out_

_You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down..._

_What's going on in that beautiful mind?_

_I'm on your magical mystery ride_

_And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright_

His voice wasn't particularly powerful but she heard the emotion and nostalgia in the tone of the song. Who he was confessing to, she didn't know. Logically it could be anyone but she wasn't doubting his feelings for said person, definitely not. She turned to see Chanyeol's beaming face and couldn't help but think, 'was the older girl the object of the tall boy's feelings?'

That was most likely why she looked so elated and good for them, anyone who could find temporary happiness in this miserable world was lucky. They'd make a good-looking couple too, Kyungsoo contemplated, equally tall and above average in the looks department. Of course, dating (which would obviously come after the inevitable confession of feelings) would then result in cheesy romantic trips to the cinema or restaurants where they'd no doubt engage in gushy conversation and express clingy behaviour. Gagging at the thought, she looked back at the performance in an attempt to get back to her imminent surroundings.

But wouldn't dating mean Chanyeol's time would be greatly restricted? That meant all of the extra time that went towards engaging her would now go towards sharing saliva with her giant of a friend...

Without meaning to, a rare smile began to etch across her face. She'd finally achieve peace and quiet in her life, in other words, get back her life to how it had been before the other girl had entered it. This was the best birthday she could have, better than any present or materialistic item. As much as she had nothing against Chanyeol, Kyungsoo would much prefer being alone - socialising was exhausting. Especially in music theory lectures where the constant, undying chatter in her ears was annoying and weary.

_'Cause I give you all of me_

_And you give me all of you_

_I give you all of me_

_And you give me all of you, oh oh_

As the song drew to a close, the occupants in the room began to clap and cheer. Meanwhile, excitement was coursing through Kyungsoo's bones, any minute now the boy would call Chanyeol up to the makeshift stage and confess his undying love.

"This is a little cowardly...but-"

This was it, this was the moment. Her breath hitched and she unconsciously leaned in to hear the delivery of the news.

"Zitao, can you come over here please," he asked nervously, looking at a youthful looking man at one corner of the bar whose expression was one of complete shock.

He made his way over to the front where Kris was waiting for him, his steps unsure and jittery. A few of the people around him started cheering him on, including Chanyeol who could be heard above all the whooping.

Kyungsoo drowned out the apparently sweet confession in favour of wallowing in her disappointment. Seconds went by and she was only pulled out of her musings when Chanyeol tapped her on the shoulder and whispered, "He's liked him for ages but didn't have the guts to tell him. I told him he had nothing to worry about but I promised I'd be here for moral support anyway,"

"I see," Kyungsoo muttered, feeling over this conversation, her one birthday wish couldn't even be granted. If she believed in a deity she'd be mentally complaining right now but instead, she cursed her rotten luck. Why couldn't Kris have fallen for Chanyeol damnit? She had many universally desired qualities going on for her: Hardworking when she tried, an optimistic personality, long but healthy hair, strong shapely thighs (if you liked that sort of thing), straight white teeth, an overwhelming love for animals. Was Kris blind? She didn't know this Zitao personally but that didn't mean Chanyeol wasn't a catch, she was one of the most popular and admired people Kyungsoo knew. And it wasn't like she could go up to him and argue in her favour, it was too late, his heart was already taken. Plus she'd look crazy.

She turned just in time to see the new couple sharing a tentative kiss that had Chanyeol squealing and clasping her hands together like a proud parent at a wedding ceremony. Public displays of affection, in abbreviation terms - PDA, were nasty and unnecessary. That stuff needed to be kept in homes, away from the eyes of the public who really didn't need to see that stuff.

Kyungsoo grunted, "let's get out of here. Any more of this and I'll poke my own eyes out."

"We don't want that..." Chanyeol quirked her lips playfully, "how else are you gonna see my beautiful face every day?"

Kyungsoo snorted, "That's the point."

Chanyeol's resulting gasp was ever so satisfying, she couldn't keep the smirk off her face.

"I'll let that slide since we both know the truth. I'm gonna go congratulate Kris and then we can head out."

True, they did know that. Chanyeol was...pretty, with her catchy laugh and wavy hair. It wasn't in her nature to lie. Everyone knew it - ask a slobbering Baekhyun who was a few estrogen pills away from drawing love hearts all over his post-teen diary and writing 'chanbaek' in bubble writing on every available surface. The first time they'd met, Kyungsoo's eyes widened for a few seconds and it was only after hearing her booming voice that she was bought out of what could have been potentially embarrassing if it had continued for any longer. Her entire reputation and 'don't fuck with me attitude' would have been burned to the ground if people had noticed her blatant gawking. The only problem was that the taller girl never closed her mouth, that killed any attraction on the spot. It wasn't every day that Kyungsoo found someone beautiful, but when she did - they had to be an extroverted Sagittarius. The universe hated her.

She quietly waited as the other girl said her goodbyes to her friend. They had a one-armed hug that was all long limbs and elated smiles, Zitao was standing next to the pair with red dusted cheeks that didn't appear to be fading anytime soon. It didn't take long for the embrace to end and for Chanyeol to walk back to the exit where Kyungsoo was stood.

"So...movies next right?" Chanyeol asked, sounding a little breathless but the unmistakable happy gleam in her eyes was clear as daylight.

"That's what you said. I saw the trailer for 'The Bye-Bye Man' and it looks decent. Beats watching shitty romantic comedy doesn't it?" Kyungsoo pointed out. Lovey-dovey films were more atrocious than children's cartoons which at least served a purpose in society. It was shocking that they managed to garner such a popular response but she wasn't surprised, half the world were closeted saps. But choosing to spend your money on such garbage seemed like setting yourself up for disappointment, watching others achieve a temporary and concocted state of happiness while you vicariously observed before going back to your own miserable life didn't seem ideal in the least. More like downright masochistic. If anything, watching people get killed in gruesome ways was more satisfying. Much, much more.

"...yeah. Sure. Let's watch a horror film, and since it's your birthday I'll pay," the offer was given with a half-smile and sparkling eyes. It was, however, too much. Kyungsoo's wallet was just as heavy as hers, and a birthday didn't mean that a person was broke. No, the student life did and paying for two cinema tickets wasn't worth any occasion.

"I'll pay for the food then."

She proposed it wanting to show that she wasn't willing to let the other girl act like they were acting out scenes from a chivalrous, ancient drama.

Chanyeol looked over at her, almost as if scanning her face for something. A moment passed and she nodded, "if you insist. But I'll let you in on a truth right now....I have a massive appetite."

Drat. Okay, maybe she lied. She didn't have a wallet as heavy as Chanyeol's, most likely not close to it either. But her godforsaken pride wouldn't allow her to admit to that so she settled for an unimpressed eyebrow raise.

However, the worry must have blatantly shown on her face because Chanyeol giggled joyously and poked her in the rib not to gently with a pointy elbow.

"Don't worry, I'll try not to eat you out of a home," and she looked so thoroughly entertained by her own teasing that Kyungsoo couldn't find it in herself to get annoyed at the jibe at her apparent (but also completely true) state of poorness.

"You better. One box of popcorn and a cup of soda, that's it. We're gonna be there to watch a movie, not feast on calories."

"You make it sound like calories don't taste delicious,"

"If you waste a single popcorn kernel, I'm gonna kill you. Cinema shit is overpriced and I'm not a billionaire."

"I kinda noticed," Chanyeol said pointedly, staring at Kyungsoo's slate-grey cotton shirt she'd, until this moment that is, proudly worn after an outdoor market sale battle against a barrage of middle aged ladies. Sales like that didn't come around every day so when they did, getting in her way was futile. She was small but had a great potential for physical violence, something that the regulars were starting to see and fear. Now she was called out on the plainness of her clothes, she still didn't care but it did make her rather flustered.

 _Don't blush_ , she mentally commanded herself in hopes that her cheek cells would understand. Luckily they did but now the silver-haired girl was waggling her eyebrows at her and one incredibly meaningful shove later, they were both on their way to '5-high' cinema. Unfortunately, the distance wasn't a walking one, which forced them to wait at a bus stop for a few minutes. It wasn't great, as a January baby the weather was gloomy and downright miserable at most. Thick, dark grey, clouds almost navy in colour hung heavily above them and the thick air around them was almost moist in anticipation. She sincerely hoped they got on the bus before the inevitable downpour began.

Kyungsoo patted her jeans pocket to double check she bought her bus card with her. She did, thank God. They wouldn't have to walk all the way back to her place just to get it and then back to waiting for unreliable public transport.

After the bus came round the corner, stopped to open its doors for the people and she entered, she noticed one small problem. The bus was packed. Normally, if she was alone she'd get off and wait for another one but Chanyeol had checked the cinema times for their film and they couldn't afford to waste any more time. She'd tried adding in the fact that the thirty minutes of solid advertisements were worth missing but logically, the chances of the tickets being sold out on the first release date was realistic and stressful. The idea of waiting another three hours for the next screening was more off putting than actually sitting through the ads, so that wasn't much of a balanced argument. Still though, packed buses were nasty and there was no hope of getting off.

That was the reason that, five minutes later, she was standing in the middle of the bus with her face squished against the older girls chest. Well, that and the fact that Chanyeol had given up the seat she'd somehow gotten her hands (read: butt) on to an old lady who looked like she was being crushed by the pressure of too many bodies confined into such an unrelenting enclosed space. As for the current highkey mortifying and very inconvenient situation, there were plenty of people she was cursing out in her head: the bus driver, for allowing too many people in at once, shouldn't there have been a point where he realised that the overpopulation was reaching hazardous levels? Customer management should be something learnt during bus driver training or something. Next was unquestionably Chanyeol for being far too kind. If she'd been seated Kyungsoo wouldn't be in an inappropriate position right now. And lastly, herself. If she wasn't so vexingly short she wouldn't be the perfect height to be cushioned by the long-limbed girl's breasts. Although it was due to genetic and environmental factors that her bones stopped elongating at thirteen, she responsibly took full blame. It was her body after all.

Attempting to turn around didn't help, a high schooler on the other side of her had incredibly bad breath and she didn't want to take her chances only to face an untimely death on her birthday. Meanwhile, Chanyeol's breath smelt strongly of peppermint and her shirt had a nice lavender scent that kept wafting into her nose and diverting her thought process. It seemed like all the cliché sayings were true, lavender really was calming.

They couldn't exactly have a conversation with the angles they were both working with, so Kyungsoo kept her mouth shut the entire bus ride. Perhaps Chanyeol felt equally uncomfortable with their close proximity as well because the other girl didn't say a single word for its duration either. Every time the bus came to a sudden jolt, her cheek pressed against her right boob harder and squished it unintentionally. It was soft...and the shape was nice, full but not too heavy. As awkward the situation was, she couldn't deny how little she did to try and prevent being facially smothered by her favourite part of the female anatomy. Her inner lesbian was weeping in happiness, the rest of her was understandably mortified.

By the time the double doors opened, Kyungsoo was ready to push people out of the way in order to escape. Luckily for all the people in front, who were also getting off, she didn't but as soon as she had enough space to breathe she got off Chanyeol in an instant. Clinging on more than necessary wasn't needed or wanted by anyone.

It looked like everyone else wanted to get off at the same stop too so within seconds, the previously stuffed bus was virtually devoid of customers. Observing it as it drove away, Kyungsoo couldn't help the pout that settled on her lips - it really wasn't fair. Why couldn't have most people have gotten off three or four stops before? Then they would have been able to sit on seats at a respectable distance from each other, no one would get into anyone else's personal space so intimately and viola! Tranquillity for all.

"So what did you think of the trailer... was it scary?" Chanyeol's eyes rounded considerably at the last word. Maybe she was a thrill seeker too, well then there would be two of them disappointed after the film then.

"Nah. It could pass as a children's film in terms of fear inducing. But plot wise, it might be good you know," the words didn't help put a smile on Chanyeol's face like she thought they would. If anything she looked a little queasy. She most likely didn't have lunch, Kyungsoo silently vowed to buy her an extra large box of popcorn as the most readily available substitute. That would stop the hunger pains probably. Unless she wasn't joking about having a black-hole stomach, then there was nothing she could do to help. With all the limitations provided by her credit card provider and the lack of overdraft policy.

The cinema wasn't a large one but it did have over ten screens it offered customers so the place wasn't run down or tiny. Large posters that decorated every corner of the ground floor queuing area they were crowded around, waiting for the tickets.

"Hi! Two tickets to see the Bye-Bye Man please."

The worker looked bored out of his mind, but then again, menial jobs were only physically stimulating. They did, on the other hand, help struggling university students make ends meet so she wouldn't be complaining about them anytime soon. He had incredibly high cheekbones and a mop of fluffy curls, along with a metal name tag labelled _Kim Jongdae._

"Adult or student?"

"Students. We've got our ID on us too if you need evidence."

"Yes please," the cashier stated politely, tapping a few more buttons on the keyboard for the screen in front of him.

Chanyeol began scrambling for her university photocard and Kyungsoo fished it out of her left pocket where she knew it'd be. Fortunately, the search was not a long one because the silver haired girl found the ID card in her wallet, nestled between what looked like multiple McDonald's receipts.

"Thanks, where would you guys like to sit?"

"Front" exclaimed Chanyeol the same time Kyungsoo muttered, "back,"

The two girls looked at each other surprised, they hadn't decided on this beforehand and by the looks of Chanyeol's set face, it didn't look like she was going to budge on the matter. A compromise it was then.

"Middle please."

Both the cashier and Chanyeol sighed, the former in relief (that this wouldn't cause an argument he'd presumably been a witness to more than enough after starting the job) and the latter released a resigned sigh that sounded like a rapid exhalation of air.

"It is your birthday. You deserve to be happy," the puppy lover gave her a meaningful stare that had softness beneath it.

That was. ..sweet? But the older girl was this nice to anything that breathed. Kyungsoo wasn't going to fool herself into thinking she was special.

The cashier thought otherwise, from the slow kitten-like smile that spread out on his lips, "You guys are really cute together, here are your tickets. Enjoy the film yeah," he handed them the tickets with a suggestive, boyish waggle of the eyebrows.

The raven haired girl pinned him with an incredulous stare that was intended to express the words, 'what the hell?'

She turned over to Chanyeol, expecting the same level of confusion and distaste to be reflected in the barista's eyes, but to her dismay, an ecstatic voice answered, "cute is the new black! We can't help it-" and she would have continued singing their praises if Kyungsoo hadn't given her sleeve a quick tug, "thank you for the tickets, we'll definitely have fun."

Less than ten minutes later, they were looking for their seats under the inconveniently dark cinema lighting.

Kyungsoo almost tripped on a drink carton that was lying uselessly on the ground, but Chanyeol's lean arms shot out at a rapid rate and kept her shoulders steady. The raven turned around after she'd managed to regain her balance. Stupid box for almost killing her, she thought petulantly, she could have died. Some members of the public were so inconsiderate and rude, truly. She squinted at the dark shadows around Chanyeol's face, she supposed she had to thank the other girl for her timely assistance. She had manners and she opened her mouth to verbalise this gratitude but all she could hear was her raspy voice whispering a curt "thanks."

Damn it all. How hard was it to express emotions? Now if this were anyone else she knew, they'd be using their intensive knowledge of language to do something that constituted as being wordier than a grunt at least. Maybe she should add something? it was probably too late, and Chanyeol's lips were already starting to move.

"Seriously? That's all you can say to your saviour? Your one and only, the reason your face is still three-dimensional," Chanyeol grasped at her chest, creating the illusion of someone that was hurtfully offended but her brown eyes were dancing with mirth. Kyungsoo's smiled, a small one but it was there nevertheless.

It seemed like, emotional constipation and all, Chanyeol actually accepted her gruffness and an overall grey cloud of pessimism. She wasn't just pretending to for the sake of a university created 'nice girl' image. Kyungsoo wasn't used to this, hadn't been expecting this either. The playfulness or the lack of polite and social expectations drifting from her classmate in waves that she quite bluntly, didn't know how to mentally categorise. Most people that were in regular communication with her were put into three categories: would stop watching Pororo for (though so far only her parents and Baekhyun were in that category. Would never under any circumstances, stop watching Pororo for. Lastly, would murder with a pitchfork and use a shovel to hide the body if technology wasn't so thwartingly advanced. Was deciding a person's importance in her life a little too complicated to be influenced by an obsessive love for a children's television show? Certainly not.

Looking at the whole day and the last few months, Chanyeol had slowly but undoubtedly (as much as she had been denying it) climbed her way up from the third one to the second. A massive achievement considering that introversion was the biggest understatement in existence when it came to her.

"Did you just smile?" Chanyeol giggled, a feat she would later deny profusely. "Did our resident Squidward smile? I feel like I've witnessed a worldly miracle, quick do it again!" she ordered distractedly, eagerly scrambling for her phone as if the action was one that would never be repeated.

Kyungsoo didn't know whether to be mildly offended at the implication or amused. She did regularly smile, she wasn't a robot but considering the fact that the other girl found the recently trending 'salt bae' memes funny and so did, worryingly enough a good portion of internet users, her own sense of humour was something she liked to call 'high quality'. Others may disagree, Chanyeol was obviously one of those people so she settled for being amused.

"Well since you did just save the fate of my teeth, I was just repaying the favour by showing you that your efforts weren't for nothing."

If Kyungsoo didn't feel an unfamiliar satisfaction bubbling inside of her at Chanyeol's guffaws then she was lying to herself. Again. The increasing prevalence of that particular trait around the silver-haired girl was getting worrying.

"Two miracles in one day. A smile and a joke. If I had known this is what a date with you would be like, I would have taken you out ages ago," Chanyeol commented idly after her laughing fit, seemingly unthinking before the words that were pouring out of her mouth.

...a date.

What?

"What did you just say?" A frosty cold voice she recognised as her own demanded.

"Er..." the deer in headlight expression on Chanyeol's face was undeniable, "it's a normal date, like you know... on a calendar," she trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck and trying but visibly failing to look casual.

Kyungsoo scanned Chanyeol's face properly for a few seconds, looking for any signs of laughter. When she didn't find any, she grunted and waved her hand dismissively.

"Let's just watch the film."

And they did.

Suffice to say, it was one the most difficult things she'd ever faced. For multiple reasons of course:

1) Chanyeol was a screamer.

2) Chanyeol was a screamer who got popcorn _all_ over both of them.

3) The movie was shit.

So with a busted ear and popcorn kernels all over the floor around them, when the credits rolled in she was one of the first to leap out of her seat and make her way towards the exit. A certain long haired girl was hot on her trail.

"Wait Soo, are you mad? I swear I didn't mean for that last scream to happen! And I forgot the popcorn carton was still half full. The film was quite scary I'm not gonna lie, wasn't expecting that level of terror," she released a short chuckle and her lips stretched into a half smile.

"Chanyeol nothing about that film was scary. Your banshee wails were definitely more terrifying than the entire plot," Kyungsoo intoned, looking nonplussed but being entirely honest. So many people had shot them angry looks and muttered under their breaths, presumably about the chicken shit that entered the cinema to watch a horror film.

"It was! I can't believe you didn't even flinch. It was so cool. Man, you're brave."

"That was weak, I've watched stuff that was way scarier. Can't believe we wasted our money."

At Chanyeol's shocked expression at her lack of terror, she added curiously, "why didn't you tell me you didn't like horror films?"

Why had Chanyeol pretended to like a genre that she was so obviously terrified of? What was she getting out of giving herself nightmares? It had been on the back of her mind every squeak he listened to during the film. The only reason they didn't leave early was because wasting money and not finding out the ending to something she'd already started were things she couldn't stand.

"I just-....I just wanted you to have a nice birthday," the giant mumbled, playing with the hem of her shirt, looking around awkwardly.

"Well..." Kyungsoo began, smirking, "I'm still half deaf after that so I don't know about 'nice'. And that popcorn was expensive as heck."

Chanyeol had the decency to look ashamed after that last retort, before firing back sassily with "well I didn't think you _had_ much hearing considering how much you ignore me."

"It's not called deafness if you _choose_ not to hear."

"And why wouldn't you choose to hear my voice? I've heard it and it sounds great!" the other girl argued, placing her hands sternly on her hips.

"Unfortunately I have as well," Kyungsoo spoke flatly, raising both eyebrows in an unbothered manner. She was bluffing through her teeth though, Chanyeol had a lovely voice. It was unique, and usually conveyed exactly how she felt, containing the potential to carry multiple tones and pitches. But usually it was soothing, slightly husky at times too, especially when she sang which affected Kyungsoo's body in physical ways that other voices couldn't emulate.

"Well, clearly your judgement sucks because there's nothing you _do_ like."

"That's not true," Kyungsoo denied vehemently, she liked plenty of things, "I like music..."

Chanyeol looked at her, entirely unimpressed, "You're doing music at university, _of course_ you like it,"

True, she had her there. Still...there were so many things she liked. The new season of American Horror Story was coming out, that pent up excitement always left her going to sleep with a contented smile.

What else was there?

She liked volunteering over at the children's hospital during the end of semester holidays and just as she vocalised that, she was cut off by a swift- "I know."

Chanyeol's rosy lips quirked upwards at Kyungsoo's baffled response.

"How do you know that? I never told anyone."

Her private life was that. Private. She didn't think anyone knew, besides no one needed to witness the fact that she was an utter pushover to a bunch of little twerps.

"I've seen you there a few times, you volunteer during the shift before me and the kids don't stop talking about Kyungsoo unnie non-stop. Which isn't fair since I sneak in the best cuddly toys in existence. They really like you, you tell the best stories apparently and your voice trumps my guitar playing skills by far."

They were standing at the bus shelter and people were bustling past them, Kyungsoo's gaze shifted from one side to another as she thought of a reply.

Was she a little flustered? Without a doubt. She loved those kids and to hear that the affection they had for her wasn't one sided, was heart warming. She could forgive Chanyeol for unintentionally invading her privacy as she was the bearer of such delightful news.

"I didn't know they liked me that much. Those brats act like they're so disappointed every time they see me," she grumbled good-naturedly.

Chanyeol beamed, all teeth gleaming, "next time let's go together. They'll all get so excited if we merge our shifts."

Just like that Kyungsoo's uplifted mood was robbed right from her grasp. Being with the chirpy little beans was one of the few things that made her feel good and simultaneously reminded her that there was still purity and innocence on the world. It allowed her to get away from everyone she knew and display her most vulnerable sides to others without feeling wary. The hospital was a perfect getaway from everything else in her life and she definitely wasn't going to let Park Chanyeol dominate that area of her life too.

"No thanks."

The barista's face fell, what was left of it was a crushed expression and as it remained, Kyungsoo got to watch the other girls cheeks droop and wonder if she was too harsh on her.

She was always too harsh on her.

The atmosphere quickly became tense. The silver haired girl wasn't even looking at her, staring directly ahead at the direction the bus would be coming from and Kyungsoo certainly wasn't an expert in dispelling bad moods. Creating them however...

When the bus came, Chanyeol got on it without even so much as sparing a backwards glance and the guilt pierced Kyungsoo like a sharp dagger would.

She got on and since this time it was more or less empty, they both found seats without any pushing or barging needed. The seats, however, were next to two opposing windows and the journey home was a quiet one that involved copious amounts of angsty window staring.

As miles of buildings whizzed past and blurred, unrecognisable faces were left in the distance, Kyungsoo really thought about her birthday. She was twenty-one years old today and she didn't feel any older, getting another step away from the teenage years was meant to be another dramatic and eye-opening coming of age endeavour but nothing had changed. She was still the same old 'grumpy old cat lady' and couldn't imagine aspects of her life changing in any way just because she was technically a little older.

Though logically, you aged every day and your body cells didn't recognise the day you were born as the day that deserved the most mitosis every year. So really she was simply strengthening the presence of recycled childish myths in her mind-set and participating in the delusion that age and maturity were linked in a way that left little room for practical growth. Instead of waiting for her biological clock to save her and regrets to mend themselves using time, she should be out making amends and bettering herself on her own. But instead of that - every mistake she made she, without fail, brushed away whatever apologies that could be made and silently let the guilt eat her up. Which was psychologically and socially disastrous but no one could wake up one day and change their innate traits. That wasn't how the world worked. 

If it were possible things would be a lot easier that's for sure, she'd have the confidence to get out of the stone cold image she built up and do a lot of the things that she wouldn't be able to right now. Instantly apologising for mistakes, laughing freely and acting spontaneously were a few of the things that came to mind but there were so much more.

The briefly intense, critical thinking session prevented her from realising the bus had come to a stop at where they were supposed to get off. She would have stayed on if it was not for a bent over Chanyeol tapping her on the shoulder, at an angle where her ringlets bounced a little as she gestured towards the open does.

"Kyungsoo, let's go."

As a result, she was jolted out of her thoughts and leapt out of the chair. The half jog she did in an impressive attempt at getting to the exit using the determination of an olympian, very much gave away the fact that she didn't exercise much in general. By 'much', that one speed-walking match to the beef section two years ago when she caught an old man eying the package she had come to the supermarket for definitely counted. She'd won and it was one the most brag-worthy successes she possessed in her short but impressive list of proud moments.

It was also the most exercise the raven had gotten willingly, probably her whole life. That shop's beef was magical, definitely worth the hassle of a sulking father of two whose shameless attempts at using his children to get his hands on that tender meat might have worked on a lesser human.

All of this information added up meant she was visibly panting and hunched over a bit trying to get her breath back. Did this suggest she was more than a little unfit? Perhaps. But most of all, it reminded her again that anyone who had ever told her that "exercise makes you happier" deserved to be forced to swim in the north pole for the sole entertainment of Seals, see how happy that would make them. Very, according to their "scientifically" backed up quote which was a whole load of crap because anyone that felt good after surviving the painful sensations of your heart contracting, was down right messed up in the head.

Chanyeol came out a few seconds after her, at the pace she always walked at. The bus was meant to drive away as soon as that happened but the doors remained open for about another five seconds. She gaped at the traitorous metal box, that had gotten her to run for no reason. Granted, no force or coercion was used but that didn't mean she didn't feel ridiculous after that dramatic exit. It would have been fine but now she could see that it was completely unnecessary. Drat.

She couldn't wait to go home.

It was nearing evening time so Sehun was probably waiting up in their one bedroom shared apartment. The first year would no doubt grill her about where she was for the whole day since there was no denying that Kyungsoo was a homebody, staying out for this long with another person was unheard of. The interrogation she certainly wasn't looking forward to, but her warm bed and a boiling mug of chamomile tea were just what she needed after a long day like this.

"I guess this is where we say goodnight."

The words were said slowly and cautiously. She didn't know where Chanyeol lived so she didn't want to presume they were going to be walking in the same direction. The other girl looked down at her, pursing her lips in a thoughtful manner.

"I-I guess. See you around Kyungsoo."

As she watched her walk away in another direction, long hair swaying from side to side over her back, Kyungsoo realised she was confused. For the first time in her life, she didn't know how to deal with another person. Most of the time it was easy but Chanyeol, she was complex and frustrating and infuriating all mixed together. The raven would never tell her what she was thinking and that meant she automatically didn't know what to do, whether it be to ignore her or to stop treating her horribly and express more of herself to the other girl. But that would mean being 'soft and mushy' and that wasn't the kind of person she was.

Ignoring her and the events of today seemed like the most feasible option, so as she was snuggled with her king sized duvet she asked herself again, what would it be like if everything was different? If no one else existed except for her and she was truly alone, there were so many fantasies she had about how she'd spend her time and all of them resulted in true bliss. It was truly a shame that birthday wishes weren't real because if she could choose anything in the word, that would be the one thing she'd want to experience.

Sehun's REM-induced heavy breathing prevented any deeper thoughts from manifesting so instead, she was gently lulled to sleep by the background noise and all the physical fatigue her muscles were enduring. Even though today was her birthday, perhaps tomorrow would be a better day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw thank you to my comments and 7 kudos :)))))))) you guys are awesome!!
> 
> I've made Kyungsoo so mean but I can't wait for her to grow throughout this HAHAHA ^.^ 
> 
> I couldn't stop myself from adding kristao in this muhuhaha and yepp they're male. What part of my mind that decides who to genderbend and who to not is very random loool. Logic has flown out of the window. 
> 
> Please keep commenting and letting me know what you think! It's what fuels my soul, along with chansoo vids xD
> 
> Love you all 
> 
> p.s If you catch any typos, they're there on purpose (wink wink)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey heyyy. 
> 
> That was way out of my comfort zone but the first chapter was so fun to write. Yayyy! Why they so darn cute?? And Chanyeol with (longer) silver hair is my weak point *my hearteu* and Kyungsoo being psychopathically evil...as usual hahaha
> 
> #weshouldallprayforbaek


End file.
